A clip of three trucks belonging to the Thittagudi Town Panchayat dumping garbage into the Vellar river went viral on Wednesday.
District Collector V. Anbuselvan placed V. Gunasekaran, executive officer of Thittagudi Town Panchayat, and Ko. Radhakrishnan, sanitary supervisor, under suspension for dereliction of duty. The district administration has ordered an inquiry against Mr. Gunasekaran.
A senior official said the transgression was committed by the trucks on December 2 at Thittagudi. In the clip, three garbage trucks filled with waste and plastic bags are seen waiting near a concrete platform on the banks of the Vellar. The trucks then proceed to unload the waste into the river, which is in spate. Sources said trucks had been dumping waste into the river for the last two years.
This, in spite of objections raised by locals.
Mr. Anbuselvan said he visited the spot on Tuesday following complaints of illegal dumping of waste. However, the local officials denied the allegations.
The administration has cancelled the services of the three drivers who were engaged on a contract basis by the town panchayat. The administration would initiate criminal action if anybody was found dumping garbage into waterbodies, the collector warned.
